Rochester, N.Y. – Filling up, the price for gas is twelve-cents higher Tuesday then it was this day last year. Small businesses, like snow plow services, are especially feeling the high prices when they go to fill up to handle a snow storm.
"When the prices go up it will affect the bottom line, but when they go up too much it will actually affect more then the bottom line," said owner of Westside Professional Landscape Brad White.
Putting the increasing price of gas back on customers isn't something plowing companies want to do.
"We have to transfer the costs some how," said Jerry Pozzuolo, owner of J Northern Products. In their four truck fleet three of them run on diesel, that’s at $4.35 in our state. They haven’t had to raise rates for their residential customers but they can’t always keep prices down. "Some of the commercial stuff, when your using the machines a lot, that gets a little costly with fuel," said Pozzuolo.
But business owners are hopeful these prices won't stick around.
"I'm optimistic about this spring and some people have speculated it will level back off and even come back down," said White.
Oil analysts are divided over the outlook for the rest of winter and spring. Some think it's a possibility especially if tensions in the Middle East escalate, while others say they do not expect gas prices to be as high as last year.
